3 months after surgery the penis began to function normally for sexual activity and urination and he will be able to have children if he so chooses. "Our goal was that he would be fully functional at two years and we are very surprised by his rapid recovery," Andre van der Merwe of Stellenbosch University said.

"It’s a massive breakthrough," Frank Graewe of Stellenbosch University says. "We’ve proved that it can be done -- we can give someone an organ that is just as good as the one that he had."

"There is a greater need in South Africa for this type of procedure than elsewhere in the world," Van der Merwe adds, "as many young men lose their penises every year due to complications from traditional circumcision." Estimates show many as 250 penile amputations occur across the country every year.